Lullaby
by DianaChaseKirkland
Summary: Her son: the Ghost King. Her son: the Prince of the Dead. Her son: Nico di Angelo. Maria di Angelo never thought she'd bear a baby in the Underworld, but when she does, maybe it is the best thing that has happened in her life. AU


**A/N: Helloo! :P I know I've been gone for, like, forever, but I'm back. This time with this…. interesting song-fic I came up with, while listening to one of my latest favorite songs, 'Lullaby' by Amberian Dawn. Go listen to it. I like it so much, and every time I listen to it, it kind of reminds of Nico. So I just **_**had **_**to write this (as much of the things I write, if you've noticed :P)**

**But, to understand this weird AU of mine, the first thing you must know is that this takes place a LONG time ago, before Hades 'kidnapped' and married Persephone. I know what you will say: "That's technically impossible! It was at the beginning of time." Well, when the age of the gods began there were already humans on the earth, if well it is true that they lived differently, but still, it was the only way to make this work. **

**And second….uh, I think that is all. Read and review please! I like receiving feedback. Positive, constructive one, if you will ;) Thanks for reading in advance! (Oh, and the other thing was that I cut some verses of the chorus that repeated themselves, but that's not all that important, the meaning is the same :P) **

**As always, I don't own anything but my plot. Not even the song – Amberian Dawn and their awesomeness do. **

* * *

_Deep in the earth, land of dead…. [The dead are welcoming their king!]_

Of all the places where Maria thought she would bear her son, the Underworld was not one of them.

_Deep in the earth lies a newborn baby boy _

She stared into the black iron cradle. Clad in black garments and wrapped in a soft blanket, lay her newborn son. His small, dark eyes were tightly shut and a few black hairs covered his tiny head. His skin was olive-colored, like hers had been once, but Maria knew it wouldn't be long for it to turn a ghostly white. The Underworld would do that to anyone, except that she was the first to know it, as she was the first mortal to ever dwell in the realm of the dead.

_Hush o precious child! Among the dead you rest in peace_

_Hush o infant king! The dead salute the son of darkness!_

Maria di Angelo, as she liked to call herself, once a child of farmers, now a Queen of ghosts, had always lived a peaceful and uneventful life at her parent's home in the open fields. The most interesting thing that had ever happened to her was meeting a charming young man who seemed to have a liking for her. Young and foolish, and deaf to parental council, she had given herself freely to this wonderful stranger, only to be left broken and, much to her initial dismay, pregnant. It was in such circumstances that he had found her.

Hades God of the Underworld, Lord of the Dead; that's how he introduced himself. No one she had ever heard about – and a God? For life's sake! But her confusion and distrust affected him little as he professed his affections for her, claimed to have loved and admired her for all the time he'd been watching her. She didn't want to know how he'd done such a thing, living as she did in a place with no human soul within a day walk. He wanted her to go live with him at his realm, but it was not about to happen, wearied and hardened by heartbreak and spite as she was.

Little did Maria know, the so called man would, by no means give up. For months he sought her out and talked about how she would have all the comforts, all the diversions, anything she wished for if only she agreed to marry him. It was hard not to be tempted, especially when he spoke with such intensity about his desire of having her and his promise of making her Queen of the Underworld if she went with him.

Disregarding this last things, deeming them madness and dramatizations, after months of insistence she finally accepted, and before she could even blink or further elaborate she found herself falling through darkness.

Seeing it, real and tangible and before her own eyes, she had no choice but to believe it.

She was in the Underworld. Not only in the Underworld, but having just agreed to marry the God of the Underworld.

True to his word, he made her his queen, and she found that, as time went by, she grew to love and care for him. And now, who would have thought, she beheld their very own child.

_Ruler of dead, sleep on the breast of the beast … [The corpses are ready and awake!]_

_Doom shall face Earth upon your ascension_

A boy, no less. She had given the God and King of the Underworld a baby boy. A male heir. Half-human, half-god. Demigods, he said they were called. She felt strangely proud of herself.

A knock on the door made her turn her head away from the cradle. She frowned. Ghosts couldn't exactly knock, so they made themselves known and asked for entrance.

"Come in?" she half asked, half authorized. The door flew open and Maria smiled immediately at the small figure running towards her.

"Mamma!" Bianca, her young daughter, collided against her and hugged her legs tightly. Maria ruffled her short, black hair.

"What is it, dear? I thought you were down there with everyone."

The girl looked up and shook her head.

"They busy. No play," she babbled. Maria chuckled. Bianca was little more than a newborn baby herself when Maria had come to the Underworld, and so her daughter, product of her first, failed love, had grown up among ghouls and spirits. When little kids her age would be terrified at the mere dark, it was all that Bianca had ever known.

"Want to see brother!" she said. Maria smiled gently and took her in her arms to the cradle. Bianca leaned over and stared unblinkingly at the baby for several moments. Finally she smiled and giggled. "He's cute."

Maria laughed. "Yes he is, dear." He put her down and the girl stood there, smiling at her baby brother. Maria sighed deeply.

Hades had accepted her since the beginning, and everyone in the palace seemed to like her and respect her. But there was no denying Bianca was a full mortal and no child of the king, unlike her brother, who was both a demigod and the prince of the Underworld. And though Maria was queen, she wouldn't be there forever, and she feared for her daughter.

_Hush o precious child! Among the dead you rest in peace _

_Hus o infant king! The dead salute the son of darkness!_

Hades had given her everything she could wish for, as he promised he would, and for a time he wanted her with such passion that, for the first time, Maria felt truly loved. Lately, however, all the love and affection he supposedly had for her had been replaced by some odd politeness and restrain. At first she confronted him directly for it, but he shrugged his shoulders and told her not to worry, that it was nothing and that she was as dear to him as she had been the first day.

But she was no fool. Not anymore at least. She could plainly see the change. She sensed his coldness towards her. Where there used to be sweet whispered words and gentle caresses now there were only silence and empty smiles. Moreover, she saw the way he looked at some goddess whose name she couldn't quite remember, a goddess of spring or something of the sort. How he conjured up images of her when he thought she was not looking. The way his eyes blazed, with the same intensity and the same desire they had once held for her.

But, unlike her old self, Maria didn't feel betrayed nor sad at the thought. She had brought this upon herself – it was only natural a great god such as him would sooner or later seek someone of his own kind – and she accepted it.

She did love him, but she understood – now she understood – that the ways of the gods were too different from humans'. She would die at some point, and he would live on forever. Because she loved him, she wished that he could be with someone who would live as long as he would. She smiled bitterly at her own pitiable situation.

"Everything is ready." His voice behind her didn't come as a surprise, used as she was to him appearing anywhere at any moment. She nodded. Upon the birth, the ghosts had been restless. They wanted to make a big celebration for the little prince, and only by their queen's good will had they gotten their wish. Hades, bothered as he had been then, now was one of the most active and enthusiastic organizers of the event. Not that he would ever admit it.

She looked at the cradle again.

_You black-souled son of mine, you'll reign the mighty kingdom of the dead_

She smiled. Yes, she wouldn't be there forever, and she couldn't help the way her life had gone so far. Even if down here she had a life in the shadows and a husband who had lost interest on her, she also had her son. Her very own son.

_You'll make your mother proud so sleep and dream until comes night!_

She would be alright. Bianca would be alright. She would see that this boy came to greatness.

The baby began to wail, throwing his small hands in the air. Maria gathered him up in her arms.

_Hush o precious child! Among the dead you rest in peace_

_Hush o infant king! The dead salute the son of darkness!_

The crying subsided, but turned and revolved anxiously in her arms. Lovingly, she kissed his small forehead.

"Hush, dearest Nico," she whispered softly, "my little Ghost King."


End file.
